The scenes of Zamperini adrift in the Pacific require a huge water tank similar to what Ang Lee had built in his native Taiwan for use in Life of Pi. It looks like Unbroken may avail of similar facilities in Australia. The country could additionally offer the budget-conscious production the unused financial incentives it dangled before Disney as an inducement to film 20,000 Leagues in the area. Unbroken is getting similar incentives from Hawaii.
-- Fussy
The Daily Telegraph (Australia)
Angelina Jolie was in Sydney scouting film sites during secret Aussie stopover
- The Sunday Telegraph
- August 03, 2013
...Film sources have confirmed Jolie was in Sydney and Queensland scouting locations for her second directorial effort, Unbroken, which is due to go into production next month.
It is understood Jolie, who landed in Sydney on a flight from Tokyo on Wednesday with her nine-year-old son Pax in tow, inspected potential filming sites at Fox Studios and parts of the NSW hinterland before heading north on Thursday where she looked at the Gold Coast's Warner Bros. Movie World Studios.
The film, her second directorial effort following her upcoming debut The Land Of Blood And Honey, is based on the true survival story of American track star Louis Zamperini whose plane crashed in the Pacific Ocean during World War II.
While most of the film is expected to be shot in Hawaii and Japan, it's understood Jolie is considering several Australian options although representatives for distributors Universal Pictures wouldn't shed any further light on the visit on Friday.
"We can't say for sure what is happening," a Universal spokeswoman said.
However, a studio insider confirmed Jolie was given a tour of several studio and location sites for the epic - much of which will be shot in a sound stage water tank. (Warner Bros. studios on the Gold Coast has three, including the largest purpose-built film water tank in Australia with a surface area of 1200sqm).
Angelina Jolie signs autographs for fans at Haneda international airport in Tokyo. Picture: AP
Source: AP
"She had a really good look around and got a clear idea of the sort of locations that would be made available to her though, beyond that, nothing more can be said at this stage," says the source.
Should Jolie choose to film some scenes here, it's likely Australians will see more of the star and her extended family, including husband Brad Pitt, with the brood rarely separating for more than a few days at a time.
Most of the filming, however, is expected to be done in Hawaii which offers filmmakers a tax credit of between 15 and 20 per cent, an incentive which has recently attracted a string of high-profile productions, including Tropic Thunder, Battleship and, most famously, Steven Spielberg's Jurassic Park.
Jolie has made no secret of her passion for the film project, which she has been trying to get off the ground since Zamperini's autobiography was published in 2010.
The incredible true tale follows Zamperini's life from the 1936 Berlin Olympics to enlisted US air force pilot whose plane is shot out of the sky.
After surviving almost two months at sea in a life raft, subsisting on captured rainwater and small fish eaten raw, he washes up in enemy territory and ultimately endures horrendous torture at the hands of Japanese troops.
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie arrive with two of their children arrive for the Tokyo premiere of his film . Picture: AP
Source: AP
"I've had the privilege of spending a great deal of time with Louis Zamperini, who is a hero of mine and now, I am proud to say, a dear friend," Jolie said recently.
"I am deeply honoured to be telling his extraordinary story, and I will do my absolute best to give him the film he deserves. I am grateful to Universal for making this film a priority."
Rising British star Jack O'Connell (Skins) will star as Zamperini after beating out a who's who of young actors.
Jolie's highly-publicised whistlestop visit to Australia wasn't all work and no play.
Mum-of-six Jolie caused a stir in Brisbane's sleepy seaside suburb of Manly on Friday when she and several associates arrived at famed seafood eatery Wilson's Boathouse where, according to local reports, she tucked into a seafood feast of oysters, scallops, prawns and bugs.
The star was also rumoured to have made a reservation at Matt Moran's Aria restaurant on Brisbane's Eagle St Wharf the previous evening, although she and her entourage failed to show up.
Variety
Hawaii Battles for Film Production With Incentives
Hawaii competes with other tropical locales with incentives
Todd Longwell
“Godzilla” paid a visit to Hawaii’s Waikiki Beach on the island of Oahu in early July, strewing thousands of cubic yards of debris across the sand, from large chunks of cement and bricks (carved from foam) to sinks and bathroom fixtures. Less than 30 hours after production wrapped, all visible evidence of the Legendary Pictures/Warner Bros. reboot — set to open May 16 — had been removed from the area, but Hawaii state film commissioner Donne Dawson says its impact will be felt long after, and not just from the economic ripple effect of the tens of millions in production dollars spent.“It becomes the latest calling card for Hawaii and it gives us bragging rights in terms of our ability as a production center to handle a film of that magnitude,” Dawson says.
Since enacting a 15%-20% tax credit in 2006, Hawaii has attracted a string of high profile productions, including “Tropic Thunder,” “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull,” “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides,” “Battleship,” “The Descendents” and CBS’ “Hawaii Five-0,” which recently began productions on its fourth season.
But with other tropical locales such as the Dominican Republic, Malaysia and Fiji establishing generous incentives, and Puerto Rico juicing its own last year with an added a 20% credit for above-the-line talent, Hawaii was losing its competitive edge. So earlier this year the state Legislature enacted a new law, effective July 1 and retroactive to Jan. 1, bumping the tax credit 5% across the board to 20% for shoots on Oahu, which hosts the bulk of production, and 25% on the neighboring islands, and extending credit’s sunset date from 2015 to 2019.
“The timing of the increase was very opportune,” says Honolulu Film Office commissioner Walea Constantinau. “It allowed shows that were either on the fence or needed a little bit more to come to the island.”
That includes a trio of features coming this fall: Tim Burton’s “Big Eyes,” Angelina Jolie-directed “Unbroken,” and writer-director Cameron Crowe’s romantic comedy “Deep Tiki,” starring Emma Stone, Rachel McAdams and Bradley Cooper.
“Godzilla” made the decision to come to Hawaii in November, before the improved incentive was approved. Although several set pieces in the film were scripted for Hawaii, producers considered raining destruction on other seemingly cheaper tropical locales, including Puerto Rico, which offers a 40% tax credit. But in the end it was decided that shooting the scenes elsewhere would be penny wise and pound foolish.
Hawaiian production happens to be marking two major milestones in 2013. This year is the 100th anniversary of film production on the Hawaiian Islands. It also happens to be the 20th anniversary of the filming of the landmark blockbuster “Jurassic Park” on Kauai, the Garden Island, which is planning its own series of celebrations and festivities in October. Like all island production, shooting on Hawaii has pros and cons. “Because you’re thousands of miles away from the mainland, a lot of materials are more expensive, and the cost of living is high, so there’s that downside,” says the film’s location manager Mike Fantasia. “But if your show requires ocean, beaches, jungle and beautiful mountains, you get incredible bounty in those areas.”
Crew capability — an area in which Hawaii excels — is another consideration. “We could pretty much count on being able to get quality crew people when we got here,” Fantasia adds. That’s not something that can be said of most runaway production destinations.
Historically, one of the downsides to shooting in Hawaii has been the dearth of soundstages. Until now, the state’s only major production facility has been Hawaii Film Studio at Diamond Head, where “Hawaii Five-0” now shoots.
The state recently approved $250,000 for a feasibility study for a new studio. In the meantime, two new soundstage complexes are set to open on neighbor islands.
The first is Maui Film Studios, featuring five soundstages, the largest topping out at 22,000 sq. ft. Maui County film commissioner Harry Donenfeld characterizes it as a “moderate-sized” facility, perfect for TV production and mid-size features.
Over on the Big Island, construction is under way on Lokahi Studios at the U. of Nations campus in Kona. Due to be completed late this year, its centerpiece will be the Transmedia Center, a 30,000-sq. ft. facility featuring sound-recording studios, soundproof practice rooms, greenscreen, motion-capture stages and multiple edit bays. The complex will also boast a broadcasting studio, a chamber concert hall, a 600-seat cinema, and a multipurpose facility containing two studio shells that can serve as soundstages or live performance venues.
“We’re going to be able to say we’ve got the largest film complex in the state,” says Big Island Film Office commissioner John Mason. “It’s going to change the game here.”
